White House: Can't trust BP on spill size

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'This is without doubt the worst environmental disaster in our history,' White House environmental adviser Carol Browner said Sunday.

Dudley told Candy Crowley on CNN's "State of the Union" he was optimistic the new attempt to cap the well with a revamped five-story containment structure would capture a “majority” of the gusher. And he maintained that a precursor to the plan — severing the kinked underwater pipe with diamond saws — could actually increase the flow of crude into the Gulf.

"If we can contain the flow of the well between now and August [when a permanent relief well is completed], that’s also a good outcome," he said. "That’s not a bad outcome compared to where we are today."

“I think the engineering on this is more simple than the top kill,” Dudley said on NBC.

But Browner, who has quarterbacked the White House response along with Homeland Security Adviser John Brennan, questioned that claim, saying experts told her there was actually a risk that the effort could make matters worse.

“It is possible we will have oil leaking from this well until August,” she said, adding that experts have told her that removing a “kink” in the pipe could result in the release of “as much as 20 percent more oil … for a period of four to seven days.”

The back and forth took place as Louisiana officials continue to criticize the White House for what they say has been a sluggish response to protecting the state’s fragile, oil-soaked coastline, a major habitat for fish and birds — whose bodies have been washing up in the brown tide by the thousands.

Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) told Jake Tapper on ABC’s “This Week” that Coast Guard officials, who have been leading the federal response effort, seemed to be finally getting the message after weeks of what he described as foot-dragging.

Wednesday of this week, local Coast Guard officials told us we don't have the personnel or the resources we need to get the job done here in Louisiana,” Jindal said. “The next day I talked to the admiral. He told me that we would see a significant improvement and difference literally in terms of tens of thousands of feet of hard boom, more personnel. And so, we are supposed to be seeing an influx of resources.”

He added: “As I told the president, for us, it's trust but verify. You know, it's that old saying that we've heard promises, we want to see that happen on the ground.”

Obama ally Colin Powell was equally pointed, lauding the president for staying on top of the spill — but chiding him for failing to project leadership and sympathy for the people in the Gulf region.

"I think the president correctly said the other day that he's been monitoring and following and has essentially been on top of it from the beginning, but that impression was not conveyed to the American people, and the comprehensive speech he gave the other day I think he would have been better served and the nation would have been better served if he had given it a few weeks earlier,” Powell told Tapper.

Readers' Comments (190)

Yeah right. Obama probably told them to make sure they set aside another million in a reserve account on their balance sheet. Had BP not given him a million bucks he would have yanked their corporate charter, prosecuted the management, and try to go after the shareholders by now!

Yeah right. Obama probably told them to make sure they set aside another million in a reserve account on their balance sheet. Had BP not given him a million bucks he would have yanked their corporate charter, prosecuted the management, and try to go after the shareholders by now!

There's nothing wrong with "Drill Baby Drill" but the fact is BP was allowed tp get away with insufficent safety standards and nobody planned what to do in case of a disaster like this and BP wanted to do the job cheaply. Let's remember that for the November 2012 election, Obama was going to hit them up for another million bucks. Who knows, maybe Obama had only hit them up for a half million, BP might have been able to afford a safety feature or two.

Yeah right. Obama probably told them to make sure they set aside another million in a reserve account on their balance sheet. Had BP not given him a million bucks he would have yanked their corporate charter, prosecuted the management, and try to go after the shareholders by now!

We tried to tell you that the Kenyan [whose only previous experience was standing on street corners handing out Marxist leaflets] was not qualified for the highest office in the land. But you mistakenly chose to believe the phony messiah's canned BS and the Demorat's propaganda machine (the so-called MSM). Thus, the economy, the border, the constitution, and the Gulf of Mexico are in ruins. all

All oil drilling should be stopped cold. BP and it's oil industry friends should not be able to dig a hole in the ground with a tea spoon. They have proved to be a bunch of liars, they said they could take care of a spill at this depth and have clearly misled everyone.

Where are the tankers that can suck up every drop of this oil? It sure seems as if someone wants the photographs of dead birds. Maybe the anti drilling carbon tax friends of Obama, oh and it just so happens BP Solar set to make ten times what they pay out in Spill claims, if Cap and Trade passes, HMMMM.......

Are you referring to the oil companies or the Obama Administation? And like liberalism, the Obama administration is out of touch with reality. Come November 2010 & 2012, liberalism will be confined to the dustbin where it belongs. Obama has seen to that.

“BP has a financial interest and if they're spending $$ they will make $$$$$$, I just don't see how, yet!

BP stands for "BOUGHT PRESIDENT" or "BRIBED PRESIDENT"

BP stand for Bought Politician (Republican AND Democrat), the Prez suggests the direction the country should go in BUT it is the legislature that passes the laws!! After all, isn't it fair that those elected to office should get campaign donations to go home and run against those who don't have access to similar funds?... ever wonder why the tax structure has been changed since Regan's reform and that more than 40% of Congress are millionaires?

If insanity is repeating the same thing and expecting a different result, what do WE call re-electing the politicians that caused all the problems in the first place with an expectation that they will fix them?

This is what happens with an unqualified, inexperienced administration like the one we now have. They don't know if BP is telling the truth or not because they don't know anything at all. BP would be crazy to be honest with these people knowing that they will use anything they're told against BP at a later date.

Obama has been running around telling us that terrorists would be more cooperative with us if we were nicer to them. Why doesn't he apply this same lunacy to allies like BP where it would have a good chance of actually being true?

Pointing fingers, constantly criticizing and playing politics won't get this problem resolved. But with this administration, it's all they know how to do. Guess that's what you end up with when you put a rabble rouser in charge of something and expect real results. All he knows how to do is complain and stir things up.